Submitted by Arthur Thomas (Tom) Plant, a Republican in Greenwich
I have a developer partner who lives in Fairfield County. He does or has owned millions of square feet of real estate in South Western CT. When I show him budgets and scope of work for the projects recently approved in Greenwich he laughs at me.
The Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) is supposed to be independent. It manages a $600 million budget — schools, police, fire, parks, and senior services — and it exists to keep spending decisions in check. It’s the only real safeguard taxpayers have against waste and political agendas.
But that safeguard is being weakened. Harry Fisher took unanimous Democratic votes to become Chair, then gave Democrats control of key committees. That move shifted real power away from Republicans, even after voters gave us a majority.
What’s worse, elected officials have now started endorsing slates for the BET. That should never happen. The BET is there to hold leaders accountable, not to rubber-stamp their projects.
That’s why I support the Republican team of incumbents David Alfano, Nisha Arora, and Lucia Jansen, joined by Alessandra Brus, Phil Dodson, and John Hopley. They will restore independence, keep the BET focused on fiscal discipline, and make sure every tax dollar is spent wisely.
The choice in this primary is straightforward: Do we want a BET that serves taxpayers, or one that serves politicians?
On September 9, I’ll be voting for Alfano, Arora, Brus, Dodson, Hopley, and Jansen. Early voting began on September 2 at Town Hall.
Submitted by Arthur Thomas (Tom) Plant, a Republican in Greenwich